Hot spot

When Joachim Hjerpe was staying alone in Beijing last year, he visited the Capital Club almost every day, meeting clients and friends, or just spending time alone.

He liked to go there after work or in the afternoon. He sat in the bar with his computer, occasionally chatting with friends who came through.

Like many of China's growing business class, Hjerpe regards his private club as a second home, as it provides him with a sense of familiarity more public venues cannot. It's a trend clubs in increasingly international China hope to profit from.

"When I was by myself it was a nice feeling to have someone outside work to talk with. At Capital Club I always felt relaxed," says the 44-year old President of Volvo China Investment Company.

The club helped him through a 15-month-long bachelor's existence in China, when his wife and son were in Sweden.

The club is within walking distance of his office, which is located in the city's embassy area. The food, cooked by chef William Gibb, the former chef for Princess Diana, is great, he says. And the club staff all made him feel at home.

Now that his family has come to Beijing, Hjerpe still goes to the club often, going for lunch or dinner a couple of times a week, and bringing his family there for dinner about twice a month. When he wants to have some time by himself after a hard working day, he also drops in at the club. A few drinks and casual conversation with members and club staff there immediately wash away his burdens, he says.

Hjerpe also meets clients and potential partners there, holds Volvo board meetings, and makes presentation to the clients.

"It is the atmosphere that attracts me to the club all the time. I can always see people I know there, members from different backgrounds, and club staff from general manager to membership manager, from chef to waitress," Hjerpe says.

Everyone knows your name

James Chen, also a member of the Capital Club, shares the same view: "It is a nice feeling to be recognized," he says.

"It is just like when you walk into a small grocery shop near home, the owner there knows you. He chats with you and brings you the stuff before you even tell him what you want. At the shop you can run into neighbors you may not be able to meet among the city's hustle and bustle," says Chen, vice-president and general manager of Sidel (Beijing) Beverages Machinery Company Ltd.

Chen, a US citizen, born in Taiwan, came to Beijing in the 1980s. When he first arrived, there was no business club, and he joined a fitness center at the Holiday Inn Lido.

He says his life consists of three parts: work, family and social life. He now includes both family and social activities at the club.

Chen spends around 10,000 to 20,000 yuan each month on private consumption at the club, on top of an initiation fee of 100,000 yuan and a monthly fee of 1,350 yuan.

Chen says the club offers an important networking platform, where he gets to know people from different social and cultural backgrounds, and gets the opportunity to share different views.

"Members here are not the wealthiest in the city, but they are the most hard-working group of elites. The club is not a top luxury place. It is a place for people to build up contacts for better life and business," he says.

Both Hjerpe and Chen regard the club as an ideal place to meet business partners. "It is prestigious to invite clients to dine in my club, because this is the place that they cannot come by themselves," Hjerpe points out.

Professional service is also another reason for members to visit. "Staff at the club always give you top service," Hjerpe says.

Whenever Chen needs to hold important banquets with clients, he thinks of the Capital Club as the first choice. "It is much easier to communicate with staff here on what you want, compared with a public restaurant," he says.

Getting involved

Both Hjerpe and Chen are on the board of governors for the Capital Club, which means they gather at the club regularly, providing suggestions to the management team of the club. The meetings always last for two to three hours, including lunch.

Chen says his recent suggestion to the club is that they should be more flexible with the dress code. "Jeans have become an essential part of contemporary fashion," he says.

Hjerpe, as an art collector, says it will be good if the club can cooperate with some galleries in the city, so that they may be able to have art pieces on the lobby wall, and change them every two months.

(China Daily 01/20/2007 page5)